Getting the job done

Good Morning Friends!  Wondrously wrapped in HIS loving arms Wednesday!  Last Sunday in church I noticed one of our older (yes even older than me) ladies was sitting alone.  Her good friend that she always sat with recently passed away and her daughter-in-law had to work  so, sweet Rosemary was all alone….I too was all alone, so I decided I would march on up and join her!  We shared a hug and snuggled in ready to worship.  During announcements she whispered to me that someone had trimmed the flowers in front of the church.  She was really happy about it, explaining that she had noticed they were so badly in need of trimming, and really wanted to do it, but just hadn't gotten to it.  She went on to tell me, a beautiful smile on her face, that when she does yard work she has to choose if she wants to be on her knees or bend over.  You see, Rosemary suffers terribly from arthritis….mind you she is smiling as she relates this to me.  She chuckled and went on a bit more about her yard work…..but my mind focused on her smile, her attitude.  This woman, has reason to give up the yard work…..terrible pain in her knees and back, but she doesn't…..she picks, according to the degree of pain in each area, the position she will be in to get the job done……she doesn't give up or feel sorry for herself…..she does the very best that she can…she keeps on keeping on despite the discomfort!  Oh wow…..the more I think about her the more I must turn to our Father and ask for forgiveness….how often do we whine, complain, feel sorry for ourselves, even give up at times when life seems to be hitting us hard?  Difficult relationships, more bills than income, grief, critical illnesses….Oh yes Father…..these are the times when we must turn to You for strength you are there, with open arms, wisdom and guidance just waiting for us….help us to be strong and follow Your words from James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”  Father, we know that life is hard at times, but with YOU on our side we know we can do it and give YOU glory!

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Romans 5:3-4. For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:10.  Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22.  Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  Romans 8:18. 

Love you all!

Christmas is never over!

Good Morning Friends!!!!  Marvelous is HIS love, Monday!   Merry Christmas!!!!  No, I have not gone completely nuts….but I have spent a lot of time taking down Christmas decorations the last few days….Yep, I begrudgingly hauled the storage containers into the house thinking Christmas is over….time to get this stuff down and packed up for another year!  I figured the task would not take too long….take it down, put it in container and go one to the next thing right…..Well, about the third little ornament I held in my hands I realized the job was not quite as simple as I had first thought….Each decoration had its own story….memory….some were made by our children or grandchildren, some given to me by precious friends, some I picked out myself….each one telling its own story…..suddenly I didn’t want to take them down and pack them away….I wanted to keep them out where I could see them and remember their stories……but I thought that’s silly, Christmas is over!  At that moment, I could hear our Father, I could feel HIM close to me…..I could feel baby Jesus in my heart….alive and well…..CHRISTmas is never over!!!!  We may just officially celebrate once a year, but our hearts and lives must celebrate every day!!!!  Oh gosh, let’s not ever pack Jesus away…..let’s love HIM, serve Him, worship and praise HIM every day….in every way we can….Let’s keep Christmas on going all year long….. "On the 364 day of Christmas my JESUS gave to me….love and forgiveness…..every day of CHRISTmas HE loves and forgives us and that’s not an easy task…so let’s not pack HIM away…never ever!  Father, thank you for the gift of YOUR SON our SAVIOR, help us to live our lives every day with the true CHIRSTmas Spirit…..Joy to the World, The Lord has Come and is staying!

 

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.  For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as bride adorns herself with her jewels.  Isaiah 61:10.  Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.  Psalm 100:1-2.  And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  Luke 2:7, “  She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”  ”…….There was no room in the inn, but oh yes….there must always be room in our hearts for HIM!

Love you all! 

The Most Important Christmas Choice

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully loved by Him, Thursday!  This meditation really touched me and I know I could not put the message into better words, so sharing with you!  Praying your choices always reflect Christ.  Love you all!

December 4, 2013 The Most Important Christmas Choice Tracie Miles "Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.'" Luke 2:13-14 (NLT) Tis' the season to be merry... and stressed. Although it should be a season of peace, this month can often make us feel more tangled up inside than a messy string of Christmas lights. Some people dread the hustle, bustle, and emotional rustle this time of year brings, knowing that irritability, loneliness, or depression will threaten. While there are others who may love the Christmas season, but worry, busyness, family conflicts, and unmet expectations take their toll. In either case, we have a decision. We can choose to get bogged down with stress or we can choose to bow down in worship. Scripture gives us a beautiful picture of praise in Luke 2:13-14. When Jesus was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds sharing the good news. Then many other angels joined together and praised God. "Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.'" (NLT) That's not the only place the Bible records angels worshipping the Lord. In Hebrews 1:6 it says, "And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, 'Let all of God's angels worship him.'" (NLT) And Revelation 5:11-12a says, "Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus." (NLT) Angels serve as role models of worship. They bow down before Jesus. They shout with incredible joy as they sing songs of praise. Through worship, angels spread the news of God's glory and exhibit holy reverence. Angels intentionally and deliberately spend time praising God. Keeping Christ in Christmas is more than just a cliché. It is an intentional act of worship. It requires a heart of adoration, much like the angels had. When Jesus is the focus of our holiday, we're centered on His love, peace, and joy. This prompts us to be His hands and feet to others in need. When worship fills our hearts, it leaves little room for aggravation in long lines at the store. We focus on what Christmas is truly about—the amazing gift of a Savior—rather than stressing out over buying the perfect presents. We exhibit grace to someone when we'd rather do otherwise. Worship turns our attention to giving thanks to Jesus for all He has done, rather than letting stress strip His joy from our hearts. And it might even mean joining in with the heavenly chorus to sing praises to Him, even if we can't carry a tune! The holidays can bring a flurry of heightened emotions and can often result in an unhealthy level of stress which can prevent us from engaging in worship and praising the One we are supposed to be celebrating. There will be lots of choices to be made during the month of December: where to serve, what gifts to buy, and how many events to attend. The most important choice we can make is to worship and sing praises to our Lord. For His gift. For His love. For His peace. And when our hearts are at peace, our holidays can be too. Lord, I choose to intentionally worship and praise You during this Christmas season. Help me stay focused on You and Your goodness. Amen.

March 6, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Willfully His, Wednesday!   My husband just called and was so excited….he had completed a project he had been working on for the past week in our big kennel.  He installed an injector that will automatically pump antibiotics into their water as needed, so much more efficient than trying to do it by hand for so many and so much better for the health of the dogs!  He also installed an injector in the fodder factory for nutrients…..automatically, every few hours, nutrients go to the tiny seeds enhancing their maturing process…..humph…..medication and nutrients…..injected automatically…..healthy and mature……automatically…..Wouldn’t that be wonderful for us…..if every day, automatically all the medication and vitamins we needed were injected into our bodies automatically….no more trips to the doctor, no more trips to the gym…… Healthy and fit….wow!  Well, we are not seeds or dogs and we have a responsibility to take care of ourselves…..to take care of our health….and our bodies….they are from God.  Our bodies are important, but we have lots more to worry about than our bodies…..We need to nurture our faith……work towards a faith that is mature, strong and healthy….a faith that will carry us through the wind storms…..A faith that will give Honor and Glory to our Heavenly Father…..a faith that reaches out to help others whatever the need may be……Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of God…..Now God will automatically fill us……but we must go to Him…..we must make the time to hear His word….by reading and worship….We must go to Him in prayer, with praise and ask Him to strengthen our faith….Oh our Father is much better than an automatic injector…..He supplies our every need, heals us, comforts us, rejoices with us…..LOVES us!!!!  Yes our Father gave us His only Son……He forgives our sins and fills us “injects” us with His Perfect Love….His Perfect Peace….His Hope for life everlasting with Him.  Father, you have given us our earthly bodies, enable us with a desire to care for them as Your temples.  Bring us to You to hear Your word, grow in faith and willingly follow Your will for our lives.

Do you not know that your body is a  temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your won; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.  1 Corinthians 6:19-20.  You, O Lord, created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  Psalm 139:13-14.  Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.  Romans 10:17.  It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.  Ephesians 2:8.  Be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.  1 Samuel 12:24.

Love you all!

February 26, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Mighty is our God, Monday!  Saturday is always a manual labor day for me- kennels, fodder, feeding, you name it and I am always tired, maybe a back ache for a bit, but last Saturday…Yikes!  Kim and I were pushed for time, so we decided to divide and conquer rather than work together like we usually do.  This decision left one big chore that Kim usually does to me….it required me to step up and down on a chair, many times…..up, down….up down…..I finished just fine, actually quite proud of what I had accomplished all by myself!  My legs felt a little tired, but heck didn’t give it a second thought right….why I am not an exercise guru by any means, but I do take pride in working out several times a week at home, the gym, the office treadmill, so it never occurred to me that my chair adventure would get to me!  Stayed busy the rest of Saturday, had Hailey and Tucker for dinner and bath never thought about my legs again.  Yesterday, after church I fixed lunch and Kim and I took a little nap (my favorite Sunday afternoon treat)…Kim’s phone woke us…we had sheep in the road….again!  He jumped up and went to get them, I sat in the chair for just a minute and then got up…..Whoa!!!!  What the heck….I could hardly stand up the front of my legs hurt so bad!  I knew immediately that my chair excursion was to blame, but I was really quite surprised….after all…..I exercise regularly, right!  I shouldn’t be sore….Well, after hobbling around for a little while, feeling a bit appalled at myself the thought occurred to me…What a good reminder that we are never in as good of shape as we could be… you know we can always work to be better!  As I helped Kim gather up sheep and work on dinner for the kids my mind (well my legs were killing me…) continued to dwell on working harder…today when I go to the gym, I need to try a new machine, work a different part of my body…..Being physically fit is really important, but how about being spiritually fit!!!!  Sure couldn’t hurt to work a little harder at that could it!!!!!  Just because we go to church doesn’t mean we are spiritually fit…right…..there’s so much more we can do, so many spiritual machines to try for a good workout!  Lots of time with our Heavenly Father shapes us up, but we must never think that we know everything we need to know about Him and His love for us…..worship, bible study, prayer time……feeling better already!  Father, asking You to give us the motivation to shape up our spiritual lives and thanking You for forgiving us when we get a bit out of shape!

Jesus said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruity unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the braches…apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:4-5.  The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us t say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.  Titus 2:11-12.  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:13-14.  Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and forever!   2 Peter 3:18. 

January 7, 2013

Good Morning Friends! Magnificent Monday, loved by HIM! Seven years ago I was given a very special gift from a close friend of my daughter Stacy’s. It is an Italian charm bracelet; she had several charms on it for me. SRK, Stacy’s initials, HIK, my granddaughter Hayden’s initials, an angel and a heart…..a beautiful gift at any time for sure, but a most precious gift to me because it was given to me on the day that Stacy and Hayden were laid to rest…..7 years ago. Other than when I am working on the ranch, I have worn that bracelet almost every day! Silly, I know, but slipping it on my wrist gives me some kind of comfort. Yesterday, sitting in church, head bowed, my eyes focused on my bracelet…..I tenderly touched the charms….the initial charms are worn almost completely smooth…....have been for a while now….I thought about replacing them, but only for a fleeting moment; I really don’t need to see the letters to know what they represent…..they are in my heart. As I sat there, in God’s house, beautiful music coming from the organ, surrounded by loving Christian friends, I smiled to myself……silly thought once again…..my beautiful bracelet with worn out charms….is like our faith…….I have never seen God, but I know that He is there. I wasn’t there at the manager to see Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, or at the cross to witness His death, or there to see the empty tomb, but I know…..I believe that Jesus died and rose for me……God’s only Son, my Savior……my faith is rooted in Him without ever seeing Him……I gently rubbed the charms, thanking God for the gift of His Son and asked Him to keep my faith strong. Thank you Father, all glory, honor and praise to You.

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1. Thought you have not seen Christ, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9.